Souks, Medinas, Hammam and Haggling - the Imperial cities of Fes and Meknes

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Our second day waking up in Fes, and we had planned a day-trip to a nearby city called Meknes, one of the four Imperial cities of Morocco. After another delicious terrace breakfast of flaky pancake with honey, we caught a bus from the crowded and hectic bus station- literally buying our tickets from a man on the street telling us that it was going there. An hour later we arrived beside the old walls of the Medina.

While Fes was the Moroccan capital in the 13th century (and late 19th/early 20th), Meknes was made the capital under the reign of the famous King Moulay Ismail (1672–1727). He was responsible for a large amount of extravagent construction work including numerous edifices, gardens, monumental gates, mosques, as well as the absolutely enormous city walls with a length of about 40km.

Inside, the first thing we went to see was the mausoleum of the man himself, who was considered such a great ruler that non-Muslims may enter, although we weren't allowed to approach the tomb itself. From there we dandered in the general direction of the heart of the Medina - a large open square called Dar el-Hedim, opposite the huge lavishly tiled gate of Bab el-Mansour. This area was lined with cafes and pottery stands, and we got sucked down into the souk beyond, which was selling vast quantities of delicious sweet things and mountains of spices of every description. Ben didn't particularly like feeling hassled by the stall vendors, but after Egypt the year before I felt like they were very polite and reserved about it! We emerged through the meat market with it's very distinctive smell and out into a Berber flea market on the other side. There was so much on display from clothes and electronics to bed frames and mattresses being stuffed right there in front of us. Ben stopped to get some spices, feeling happier about not being hussled into the shop, and we continued meandering around the streets choosing random turns to take. We started to feel a little bit lost, but lo and behold the little man who sold Ben the spices showed up behind us. He led us back in the direction of the tourist souk, stopping in a big artisan shop along the way. No thanks! I'd heard that Meknes was a lot smaller and less hassly than Fes, but I definately felt a lot more hassled here as vendors vied for our attention.

After escaping the souks we walked around the outside of the Medina wall for awhile until we came to a park. We popped into a nearby open cafe for some mint tea and fresh air. I felt bored of souks already and if I'd been staying longer I'd definately break up the trip with some outdoor activity - only can do so much on what is essentially a city-break. We had an interesting lunch experience. After deciding only to get street food, we got pulled into the back of a tiny hole-in-the-wall kitchen, there was literally only room for the table and bench! We both got a camel burger stuffed into bread with mint tea. Ben also ordered soup which tasted like buttermilk and had a thick layer of oil on top. It wasn't that nice. Anyway the fun started when we went to pay and the man asked us for 160dhr! (about 15euro) Madness! We had to argue him down to 30dhr each as that was what the man beside us was paying for the same meal. Oh well, at least the transport is cheap even if everything else is debatable! We got onto the bus back to Fes just in time as it started lashing down again. What a week! It took about 30mins to leave the bus station as they were trying to fill all the seats, and it took ages leaving Meknes as the bus driver kept pulling over to let even more people on. We were pretty tired when we got back and just chilled for awhile, I changed rooms to my own wee single as Ben was leaving for Marrakech that night. It was a chilled out night on the roof terrace playing cards until he had to leave to get his overnight bus.

My last day in Fes was an interesting one, I'd planned a leisurely day of hammam and shopping. After failing to find the first hammam I looked for, I found one on Talaa Kebira - Ain Azleten hammam. It was literally just a gap in the wall and I wasn't sure if I was in the right place, but I was ably assisted by a nearby shop owner who then acted as my translator with the Berber woman who came to the entrance. It was a very unique experience. I stripped to my pants in the reception area (literally just around a wall from the entrance) and was taken by the hand by a tiny old Berber woman (also in her pants) into the wet rooms. It was a publicy used hammam - women were there washing their children. It was really hot and steamy, with small star shaped holes in the roof to let some of the steam out. I was directed to sit on a mat on the floor and was surrounded by buckets of hot water which she started to pour over me, and she washed my hair. Then the scrubbing began! She used a tub of really greasy soap and started brushing my skin hard with a course mitt. It wasn't as rough as I expected it to be, it was quite pleasant and therapeutic! After forever, she poured some more water over me and directed me to lie down on the mat for the massage. It was glorious - shoulders, back, arms, hands, legs and feet. I noticed how soft her own skin is, a regular hammam must do wonders. After that I was left to my own devices, so after sitting against the hot wall for awhile I started to do my own scrubbing. After a long steam, the little old woman came back for me with a towel. I expected a bucket of cold water to be thrown over me but I was just taken back out into the lobby again to change. Brilliant experience, but of course when I walked back out onto the street again there was a chorus of "ooh did you like your hammam?".

The other noteworthy thing that happened was buying a carpet that I didn't want! I'd gone into a shop to buy some teapots (which took forever over much mint tea - nothing if not professional), and after drinking to a successful bargain I stupidly agreed to go with him to his cousin's carpet shop. People beware! Do not even enter these places if you're not looking to buy! I knew not to, I knew it, but I also thought I'd have the strength not to buy anything if I didn't like their wares. It turns out that is not the case! I was shown a variety of carpets and blankets in different materials and styles and given time to hmmm and haaa over them. I told them roughly the size, style and colour of what I was looking for and had a variety of options shown to me. Then the bargaining started! They opened at 2,000dhr which had me laughing, and I explained that I only had 200dhr left to spend. Almost succeeded in getting away at that point too but then the big guns were brought out in the form of a very-smooth talking middle-aged man. Despite telling him that I only had a certain amount left to spend and that I would not be using my credit card, I heard myself making an offer of 500dhr. This of course he wouldn't accept, only reducing his offer to 1,500dhr. After what felt like an age at a polite and friendly stalemate, I managed to extract myself and make a break for the door and down the steps to the exit. Only to be stopped by a very friendly young man at the bottom who SWORE he was talking to me earlier in the morning and did I not remember him? Of course I hadn't a clue who he was but it gave Mr Smooth-Talker upstairs time to come down after me as I was backing away. I should have ran when I saw him but no, I was polite and spoke to him. He asked me to go up on my offer a little bit, and sarcastically I replied 505dhr. Mistake! He agreed on the spot and that was that, I had no choice but to follow him upstairs and complete the payment (as per haggling etiquette, not because I was forced to or anything). I was so annoyed at myself, but they were all so delightedly polite wishing me happiness with my reluctant purchase that I had to grit my teeth and smile, saying that 'yes, I was very happy'. What made things worse was that I don't even think I liked the carpet all that much, it wasn't exactly what I wanted! But a very valuable life lesson learned!

After that experience I was no longer interested in shopping funnily enough! I picked up my bag from the hotel and went out for dinner, staying there reading (Salman Rushdie's The Satanic Verses, in hindsight not a great book to bring to an Islamic country) until it was time to head to the bus station. I got an overnight bus back to Tangier, arriving two hours early at 4am, and hung around the bus station 'til it was time to get the ferry back to Tarifa and onwards back to Cadiz. What a holiday! I'd definately return to Morocco, and recommend it to anyone if you go with eyes open, but definately need to break up the souks with something more active next time!

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